Jessica Campbell became the NHL’s first full-time female coach on Tuesday when she stood on the bench with the Seattle Kraken in their first preseason game of the season.
Campbell was hired as an assistant coach by the organization in July, and from that point forward, Oct. 8 was always a date circled on the calendar for the milestone-breaking moment.
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“It fuels me every day just knowing that I’m a part of something way bigger than myself and my job and coaching,” she said. To NHL.com, she added: “The year ahead is going to be a lot of fun. To carry that torch every day and keep my focus on being a coach, it definitely puts meaning into the work.”
What is Jessica Campbell’s Background?
Campbell was a renowned hockey player before joining the Kraken as an assistant coach. She starred at Cornell University, where she was a team captain and hit the 100-point mark for the University.
She turned pro and spent time with the Calgary Inferno before playing internationally in Sweden.
After her playing days, she was a trailblazer in the American Hockey League as the first female coach with the Kraken’s minor league team, the Coachella Valley Firebuds. She was there from 2022 to 2024 before moving to the NHL.
How Many Women Coach in other leagues?
While Campbell broke down the walls at the NHL level, the other three major leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA) have already done so.
At the start of the 2024 season, 15 women held full-time coaching positions in the NFL.
In 2023, MLB had 43 women coaching.
Becky Hammon was the first woman to serve as an acting head coach, with the San Antonio Spurs in 2020. There are currently six active female assistant coaches in the NBA.
